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The Penn State Schuylkill Alumni Society Board is accepting nominations for the 2013 Alumni Achievement Award. For an application, contact Patty Shoener, pts11@psu.edu .

Andrew Tellep, a Pottsville High School and 1974 Penn State graduate, holds a Master of Education degree in secondary mathematics from Kutztown University and a Master of Science degree from Shippensburg University in computer science.  Mr. Tellep taught high school mathematics and later joined the faculty at Penn State Schuylkill Campus teaching mathematics and computer science until his retirement in 2008.

 

Mr. Tellep served Penn State as chair of Schuylkill Campus faculty senate, chair of the Capital College faculty senate, and was Schuylkill Campus faculty senator in the University Faculty Senate at University Park.  In addition, he served on many campus and university committees.  He volunteered in the Math Options program to promote mathematics related careers for women and helped lead Project Empower.  Mr. Tellep presented papers dealing with computer science education at national and international conferences.  He was invited by IBM to participate in an international workshop on problem solving and critical thinking.  Mr. Tellep currently serves as the volunteer chair of the faculty/staff committee at Schuylkill Campus within the "For the Future Campaign", raising funds for student scholarships and support. He and his wife, Dr. Michelle Tellep, live in Marlin, PA. They have one son - Michael Tellep, a senior at Penn State University Park.

Fred J. Wiest, retired partner of Williamson, Friedberg & Jones, LLC, Pottsville, PA, has been named as the Penn State Alumni Association’s Honorary Alumnus for 2013. The Penn State Alumni Association’s Honorary Alumni Program was created to recognize outstanding individuals who, though not graduates of Penn State, make significant contributions to Penn State’s welfare, prestige, and reputation. The award for becoming an Honorary Alumni, beyond the pride of being associated with this University, includes a life membership in the Penn State Alumni Association and a cast bronze medallion by internationally renowned artist Jeanne Stevens-Sollman.

 

The Association’s Alumni Council Awards Committee and the Council’s Executive Board unanimously agreed that Fred J. Wiest should be inducted and recognized as an Honorary Alumnus for 2013.

 

Mr. Wiest has served on the Penn State Schuylkill Advisory Board since January 1, 1954, making him the longest serving, living Board member. He has made numerous contributions to the Penn State Schuylkill, including establishing the Elizabeth S. and Fred J. Wiest Trustee Scholarship and the Faculty/Student Research Endowment at Penn State Schuylkill. The atrium in the Health & Wellness Building bears the name, “The Fred J. and Elizabeth S. Wiest Atrium”. 

 

Fred Wiest is a resident of Minersville, PA, a graduate of Swarthmore College and Harvard Law School.  He was admitted to the Pennsylvania Bar in 1941 and served as president of the Schuylkill County Bar Association from 1956 to 1957.  Mr. Wiest’s career spanned seventy years, focusing his practice in the fields of elder law, wills, estates and probate, real estate law and municipal law, until his retirement in June, 2012. He also served in the armed forces of the United States during World War II. 

 

Attorney Wiest survives his wife, Betty, and has two children, Marian Sommerfeldt and Richard J. Wiest, and two grandchildren.

 

The Honorary Alumni induction is set for May 31, 2013 at University Park, PA.  Honorary Alumni will join the University’s 2013 Distinguished Alumni for the recognition activities. 

Join us for the fourth annual Penn State Day at Knoebels on Saturday, May 18, 2013, for a day of fun, food, and fantasy! Registration begins at 11:00 a.m. and lunch will be served at noon. Tickets are $20.00 for adults and $10.00 for children. Reservations are required by May 3, 2013. Contact Patty Shoener at 570-385-6262 or pts11@psu.edu if you have any questions.

Join the Penn State Berks and Schuylkill Alumni Societies at the "Reading Fightin Phils" game on Sunday, July 28, 2013, at 6:00 p.m.. Picnic tickets include the full buffet and are $25.00 each. Contact Patty Shoener, 570-385-6262 for tickets.

Dr. Richard Spontak, Alumni Distinguished Professor at North Carolina State University and Lars Onsager Professor at the Norwegian University of Science & Technology, received his B.S. and Ph.D. degrees in chemical engineering from the Pennsylvania State University and the University of California at Berkeley, respectively. He is world-recognized for his fundamental and applied research involving polymer nanostructures, nanocomposites and networks, and has published over 250 peer-reviewed papers on these topics. Dr. Spontak has received numerous awards, and patents. A fellow of the American Physical Society and IOM3, Dr. Spontak was born in Saint Clair, PA, and attended Schuylkill Campus before moving to University Park.